Tonight's Gonna Be a Good Night
by reachthestars
Summary: What if Puck and Rachel had been able to make things work? Starting with Mash-up, ep. 8, now through Hairography, ep. 11. Chapter 5 now up! Puckleberry, WIP
1. Where it Began

**Tonight's Gonna Be a Good Night**

Tonight's the night, let's live it up.

Disclaimer – I don't own Glee or any of the characters. If I did Puck and Rachel wouldn't have broken up ;). I make no money off my writing.

The main ship in this fic is Puckleberry, but there will also be Wemma, Fuinn + Tartie

Consider it canon until ep. 8 – Mash-up (at least until the bedroom scene), some things from later episodes possibly will be in as well, just not always the exact same or in the 'right' places. Please read + review! The more reviews I get the more motivated I will be, which means chapters get put up much faster ;).

Chapter 1 – Where it Began

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"My ears are starting to hurt. Can we take a break?" Puck shifted the guitar to his side as he made his request to Rachel.

She turned from her mirror above her dresser and the brush she had being using as her improvised microphone was forgotten as she looked down at him sitting on her bed. "Ok."

With a quick look up and down the brunette's body he finally was able to ask what he'd been hoping for all evening, "Wanna make out?"

"Sure..." She answered, although she seemed uneasy at the decision.

Her uncertainly was quickly forgotten as they fell back intertwined on her fluffy pink duvet with Puck taking charge on top of her. His hands quickly found themselves wound through her thick brown mane of hair as she rolled him over, relishing in her newfound control. She opened her eyes to gaze down on him and hesitated as she saw Finn, not Puck below her.

"You ok Baby?" he asked as she sat up suddenly.

She slipped off of him, moving to the left hand side of the bed as she shook her head. "I can't do this."

Confused, Puck sat up. "Why?" His eyes took in her petite but attractive frame. "We're a couple of good lookin' Jews. It's natural" He leaned forward and captured her lips again, and against her better judgement she allowed him.

A sudden sharp rapping on her door sent the pair scrambling to opposite sides of the room. The door opened a crack and Allan Berry stuck his head in the room.

"How's the rehearsing going Hun?" He asked his daughter, eyes lingering for a second longer than necessary on Puck, who was fiddling with the alarm clock on Rachel's nightstand.

"It's going great Daddy, thanks for asking." She quickly made an attempt to flatten her unkempt hair. "Puck is really doing me a huge favour by being here."

Allan nodded. "Another 20 minutes and then your friend has to be on his way." He shut the door and they listened for his footsteps down the hall and finally down the stairs, back to his movie in the family room.

Rachel giggled as Puck narrowed the distance between them, taking her bottom lip between her teeth. "That was a close one!"

She ran her hands along his sides as he once again backed her up, until she felt the bed behind her legs. She let herself sink down and relished the feeling of his weight above her.

---------------

Shifting through her locker the next day after school gave Puck the perfect opportunity to plant a surprise kiss on the back on her neck. She spun to face him and wrapped her arms loosely around her neck as he planted a proper kiss on her deliciously plump lips. She took a second to savour him, and then looked around nervously.

"Relax babe, everyone's gone for the day and the nerds are all in the choir room" He reassured her, pushing a strand of rogue hair from her face.

"Then that's where we should be. They'll come looking for us in a second." She put her hands on his broad chest, letting them rest there briefly before gently pushing him back. He groaned and hung his head, but allowed himself to be moved by the tiny diva. She planted a chaste kiss on his cheek before turning on her heel and flouncing off to Glee.

Puck was the last student to enter the classroom and took a minute to pick up his pride and joy, his acoustic guitar from where he had set it up beside the piano earlier. He glanced over at Rachel who had taken a seat front row center. _Go figure_. He thought to himself with a chuckle.

Mr. Shue entered the room and with a clap of his hands got their attention, "So, any ideas for the mash up?" He gazed around the room, facing 11 students who were avoiding eye contact with him at any cost. "Anybody?" He looked toward Finn, who quickly dropped his gaze to the floor. "Oh come _on _guys. It's like you're daring me to start dancing!"

That certainly got a reaction from the group. "Noooooo!" they all called out with a laugh.

Puck turned from the piano and raised his hand. "I've been working on something."

The group went silent and Mr. Shue raised an eyebrow. "Oh yeah?"

"It's my personal tribute to a musical Jewish Icon." That certainly caught Rachel's attention, and he used it to his advantage, taking a moment to gather his courage by gazing into her perfect chocolate eyes.

"Ah, fantastic." Mr. Shue nodded and raised his arm to signal that Puck had the floor. "Let's hear it." He moved to the open seat in the farthest row back, curious to see what had been prepared.

From the very first chord that Puck strummed, Rachel knew what he was about to sing, and she leaned forward, body seeming to become electrified from her anticipation.

_Where it began, I can't begin to know when  
But then I know it's growing strong  
wasn't the spring,  
and spring became the summer  
who'd of believed you'd come along _

He took steps to bridge the gap between himself and Rachel, who was leaning forward as much as she could as she swayed in her seat to the music. Puck was so enthralled by watching her that he didn't notice the realization dawning on Finn's face behind her.

_Hands, touching hands, reaching out  
Touching me, touching you _

Finn wasn't the only one quickly catching on; Santana was looking between the pair who were oblivious to all else, a growing look of disgust on her face.

_  
Oh, sweet Caroline  
Good times never seem so good  
I've been inclined to believe it never would _

His grinned broadened as he watched her duck her head, colour filling her cheeks.

_Oh, sweet Caroline  
Good times never seem so good  
I've been inclined to believe it never would oooh oh no no._

He was greeted with clapping and cheers from the other Glee members as he finished, but he and Rachel had become so lost in each other's eyes that neither one seemed to notice. Her nod of approval was all he needed.

---------------

Keys in hand, Rachel exited the school and headed towards the student parking lot. She was humming _Sweet Caroline _quietly to herself, lost in thought, trying to decide what would be the perfect song to sing to Puck. She sighed and wished he was there to take her to her car, but he had promised Finn he would play Xbox with him after practice, much to his new girlfriend's disappointment. As she approached her little yellow Volkswagen Beetle her eyes widened as she saw two of her fellow Glee members resting against it.

Seeing her finally coming, Kurt elbowed Mercedes and nodded in Rachel's direction. They stood tall and Mercedes raised a perfectly manicured eyebrow, an obvious question on her mind. "Girl, what's the deal with you and White Boy?"

Holding the books that didn't fit into her overfilled backpack close to her chest, she held her chin high. "I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about."

Kurt took his place beside her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "Oh Hunny, that boy has it _bad_ for you. Is the feeling mutual?"

She felt colour rising to her cheeks and turned her head from the inquisitive pair. She and Puck had resolved to keep it from the other Glee members for as long as possible, but alone without him she felt that determination crumbling away.

"Oh, I _knew _it!" Mercedes shouted triumphantly, raising a hand to the sky. "But let's get real for a sec." She looked the Glee club's outcast Diva up and down. "_Puck?_ Seriously? Do all you white girls dig the 'hawk or something?"

Rachel looked between the two, her eyes pleading. "Please, please don't let this spread around. We agreed to keep it quiet from everyone for a little bit."

Kurt and Mercedes eyed each other from either side of Rachel for a moment, making the brunette a little nervous. Finally, after what seemed to her like an eternity Kurt nodded at her.

"Fine, but we want _all_ the details."

---------------

There was an awkward silence in the truck as Puck drove himself and Finn over to Finn's house. He could hear his friend's mouth opening and closing, and he knew that Finn was building up the courage to ask him something. He chose to ignore it and wait until he was asked something, pretty certain he knew where Finn was going to be heading once the words were out.

Finn finally turned and looked directly at his mohawked friend. "So, uh..... What's going on with you and Rachel?"

Puck took his eyes off the road for a second to meet his best friend's gaze. "What do you mean?"

Finn shook his head, he had known going into this that his friend would be reluctant to give out any details. "Dude, you sang her a song. There's got to be something going on there."

"It's nothing." He took his right hand from the wheel to crank up the volume on the radio.

His eyes narrowed when, a split second later, Finn's hand turned the music completely off. "Look, we've been friends for how long now? I can tell when something's up with you. Are you like... in love with her or something?"

Puck sighed, and glanced quickly at his friend out of the corner of his eye. Finn's jaw was set in a steely determination Puck had seen only a handful of times before. He knew ignoring him would be a lost cause, choosing to only give him a partial story in the hope that his friend would be satisfied.

"Freaky chicks make good kissers, man. Like, almost better than Cougars." He pulled the half ton truck into his friend's driveway and threw it into park. Finn's eyes narrowed.

"Look, she's a nice girl Puck. I just don't want to see you hurting her." It was at the moment he knew that he would have to give his oldest friend more of the story. He obviously cared for her still, and knew Puck's less than stellar track record with young, vulnerable hearts.

"She's my girlfriend." He confessed with a sigh, face set straight ahead to the closed garage door. "We made it official yesterday." Turning his head, he met his friend's gaze. "We're not ready to go public yet, so if you so much as breathe a word of this to anyone..."

Finn shook his head, a smile creeping up on his lips. "I've got your back bro."

The friends exited the truck and followed the cement path to the front door. Finn was reaching for the handle as the door flew open, nearly catching him in the chest.

"Quinn, what th-" He managed to get out, before tiny blond slammed an open envelope into his chest. She stepped forward, so they were only inches apart.

"It's a past due notice Finn! If we don't start paying this, it will be sent to collections and my parents will find out!" Finn backed up, but found the path blocked by a very confused Puck. "A real man would leave his _pregnant girlfriend_ to come up with a solution. A real man would be out there finding any job he could!"

Puck started to open his mouth to excuse himself from the cheerleader's wrath, but was cut off before he could start. "And _you_!" She spat, fixing her gaze on him. "You stay right there, I need a witness." Again her anger was directed back to her boyfriend. "Find a way to pay this or you cut off, understand?" She waited for him to acknowledge her with a brisk, nervous nod and then stormed past them, ponytail bouncing as if to accentuate each angry step. Turning, her gaze flickered between both. "Which one of you is driving me home?" Each word dripped with venom.

Puck took advantage of Finn's hesitation and patted him on the back. "Don't worry bro, I can do it." Quinn rolled her eyes, but allowed the boy to escort her to his truck.

He personally was grateful for the chance to speak to her. Hell, he had dealt with Cougars, how much trouble could one hormonally imbalanced teenager be?

He figured the was no time like the present to say what had been on his mind ever since hearing Finn stressing over medical bills. "You know if you need money you can come to me, right? I'm no deadbeat, I take care of my own."

She shook her head. "You just don't get it, do you? This baby is yours by DNA only. Finn is the father, that's what he thinks and he won't find out the truth from me or anyone else." She fixed a pointed start in his direction.

"Quinn, I'm offering you cash. I don't want to play Dad or get with you."

"Just take me home Puck. I don't want or need anything from you." She turned away from him and rested her head on the window, watching the curb speed by. When he pulled up outside her home she leapt from the car as fast as her feet could carry her, hoping he had not seen the tears streaming down her cheeks.


	2. It’s the Risk That I’m Taking

Hey guys, thanks so much for the reviews on chapter one! We had a massive blizzard here so I was able to write all day (in between watching episodes of Glee) and get another chapter done. Please read and review if you want me to keep putting chapters out quickly!

Chapter 2– It's the Risk That I'm Taking

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He drove blindly, as fast as he could, unsure of his destination. All he knew was that he needed to put space between himself and Quinn before he did something he would regret, like rush back over to Finn's house and tell him _everything_. It destroyed him, her carrying his child and not even allowing him to be a small part of it. Every time anyone mentioned 'Poor Finn and Quinn' he wanted to scream the truth from the top of the school. His hands gripped the steering wheel fiercely, knuckles a ghostly white. The cab of the truck was eerily silent.

He pulled into Rachel's driveway, parking beside her cute little Beetle and breathed a sigh of relief – she was home. Exiting the truck he made his way hesitantly to her front door. He had been so eager to have someone to talk to, but his confidence was wavering the closer he got to that damn door. Pausing before it, his finger hovered over the doorbell, torn between staying or going.

The choice was made for him as the door swung in, opening to reveal Rachel in the same outfit she had worn to school that day, mini skirt and knee high socks teasing him despite his mind being elsewhere.

"Noah? Is everything ok?" She asked him, concern obvious. To be honest she was more than a little freaked out, her boyfriend had appeared without any warning on her step and was as white as a ghost.

"I have to tell you something, but you have to swear on your life you won't tell anyone." They stared deeply into each others' eyes as he silently pleaded with her. After what was only a second for her, but seemed to be an eternity for him, she nodded.

"Ok, come in." She took him by the hand and guided him into the living room. She was going to take him up to her room, but he stopped and she couldn't keep going with his firm grip on her arm. She turned to face him, brown eyes full of questions.

"This can't get out. Not to Finn, Mercedes, Kurt or anyone _got it_?" She nodded and watched him sink down on the couch. "Quinn's baby is mine." Her eyes widened and she sank down onto the couch beside him.

"Why are you telling me this?" She asked him softly, hand remaining entwined with his.

He squeezed her hand and looked into her eyes. "I needed to get it off my chest, I needed someone to understand and you're the only one I could think of who I could trust." He looked back down at his lap. "She won't let me help at all. I've offered money for medical bills, clothes, everything. She's carrying my baby but would rather have my _best friend_ raise it. She called me a Lima Loser, said I have no ambition." Her words had stung him more than she would ever know.

Rachel raised her free hand up to caress his cheek. "You're no Lima Loser, Noah. You really think I would waste time on a man with no future?" She kissed him softly on the lips. "I can't say I'm thrilled that she's pregnant with your baby, but what's done is done. I'm your girlfriend and I care about you. I'll be with you every step of the way." She placed another kiss on his lips and this time he returned it with an intensity she had never before felt. She effortlessly shifted from sitting beside him to straddling him as she cupped his face in her hands and bestowed several passionate kisses on him.

He groaned, well aware of her ridiculously short skirt and the problems it was causing him at that very second. "Rach, I want you..." he whispered in her ear. She nodded, gasping for breath as her hand tentatively slid down so it rested on his belt buckle.

He shook his head and grabbed her hand. "Not down here." Well aware that this would be her first time he didn't want it to be on her couch. "Your dads left on that business trip this morning, right?" She nodded and stood up, biting her lip in a way that drove him mad. He rose and took that same lip between his own teeth and let her guide them both to her room upstairs.

Up in her room he held her tightly, their lips once again finding each other. He placed soft butterfly kisses on her collar bone as he ran his hands down to the buttons holding her blouse together. His nimble fingers opened each button slowly and deliberately, teasing her. He audibly groaned when the shirt fell open, revealing the lacy blue plaid bra hidden beneath. She gasped into his mouth as his guitar string calloused hand rubbed her through the flimsy material. She in turn ran her hands down to the hem of his shirt, lifted it off over his head and ran her palms down his broad, chiseled chest.

He hesitated and they rested forehead to forehead for a moment. "You're sure this is what you want?" He asked gently. She nodded and fumbled to undo his belt buckle. Once that was freed his pants quickly dropped to the ground revealing already tented red silk boxers. She reached out nervously and was encouraged by his low moan. Her black skirt quickly joined his jeans in a pile on the floor, and he took in the sight of her matching panties.

"Rach, you are so, so hot." He breathed in her ear as he guided her backwards to the bed.

---------------

When she woke the next morning the first thing she was aware of was her nakedness. The next thing she noticed was the also naked boy behind her, snoring in her ear with his arm draped around her midsection. She snuggled in closer to him and felt his arm tighten as the snoring stopped. Suddenly he rolled away from her, removing his arm. She turned to face him, and he noticed the questioning look in her eyes.

"Mornings aren't really the best time to grind a guy, Babe." He said playfully, grinning as her cheeks turned a delightful shade of rose.

"Oh... Oh!" She stammered, trying to regain composure. "I'm so sorry Noah."

He laughed and planted a wet kiss on her lips. "Don't apologize, just remember for next time. If you do that again you have to follow through."

She sat up, bringing part of the bed sheet with her. "I hate to cut this discussion short, but we do have to get ready for school." She looked around the room, seeing the scattered clothes. "And you'll have to hurry if you're going to go home to change."

He too rose, and rested his back against her head board. "Go home? I'll just wear what I had on last night."

He watched her nose wrinkle in disgust. "Noah, not only is that _disgusting_ but people will know you weren't home last night!"

Puck rolled his eyes at the dramatic brunette. "Trust me, no one will even notice once I walk through the doors with you on my arm."

"I thought we agreed to keep this quiet for a while." One brow arched in question as she looked at undressed boy in her bed.

Yawning he said, "Yeah, changed my mind." He leaned forward and kissed her again, and then climbed out of the bed, causing Rachel to avert her eyes. "We should get showered and ready if you actually want to be there on time." This caused her to look at her watch and gasp, nudity forgotten as she raced for the shower.

---------------

"Thanks for the drive." She smiled at him as they pulled into the student parking lot. She was excited to walk through those doors with none other than Noah Puckerman on her arm for the whole school to see. He had insisted on driving her to school this morning, although he made his ulterior motives quite clear. It was good plan actually – he would have to drive her home after Glee rehearsal and he was hoping he'd be invited to stay again, taking full advantage of her dads' trip.

He groaned after he put the car in park, remembering Finn's text yesterday. "Babe, there's something you need to know." She turned and looked at him expectantly. "Coach booked an extra practice for us after school today."

Realization dawned on her face. "But... we have Glee after school! Can't you just skip the practice?"

He shook his head and took her hand. "Coach said it was mandatory. We'll get kicked off the team if we miss it." His heart broke watching her as she took in his words. "Hey," he lifted her chin. "I haven't made my decision yet, but I really like you and I want to be with you." He kissed her lips tenderly, and she smiled after returning it. "Wait right there." Heslid out of the truck and swung his backpack over his shoulder before going around the front of the truck and to the passenger side. He opened the door and extended his arm to his girlfriend. She accepted it and hopped down.

Entering the school it soon became obvious that word had leaked of Coach Tanaka's ultimatum for the football team. Before first period both Finn and Quinn had gotten their first slushie facials, which had the other Glee members understandably freaked out.

After third period the pair made their way down the stairs arm in arm, heading for the cafeteria. Rachel had out of habit donned her pink polka dotted rain jacket.

"You know, you never told me what you thought of my mash-up solo." He looked down at her.

"I thought I made that clear last night." She blushed and ducked her head. "You're still missing the elusive high B. That's a brass ring for a Bari-tenor. I had to work on it for _weeks_ with Finn before he got it." She stopped him and they turned to face each other. "You're a great performer, Noah. I just want to say how proud I am to have you on my arm in front of the _whole_ high school."

They resumed walking and made it a few steps when Rachel winced, seeing the slushie coming. It sailed past her and right into Puck's face. He froze as she gasped, hand covering her mouth in shock.

They rushed together into the guys' bathroom where she had him lean back over a sink so she could rinse the grape slushie from his face.

"You're pretty good at this." He gazed up at her, still squinting from the corn syrup in his eyes.

"I've had a lot of practice." She smirked, pouring another cup of water to rinse his mohawk. "You're actually a lot luckier than me and Quinn." She massaged his scalp. "Your head is shaved."

He sighed, "I'm _really_ sorry I ever did this to you."

"It's ok." She grabbed a towel and took a seat on his lap.

"No, it isn't." He took the towel from her and put his hand on her hip to keep her steady. "No one deserves this feeling. You know what the worst part is? It's not the burning in your eyes or the way the slushie drips all the way into your underpants, it's the humiliation. I feel like I could burst into tears at any moment." He gazed into her eyes. "Rachel, I'm sorry but today when the clock chimes 3:30..."

She nodded in understanding, sadness evident. "You're choosing football over Glee, which means we probably can't be together anymore."

"Yes. _Damn_ I feel like such a bad Jew!"

She leaned forward to place a kiss on his forehead, then stood up to gather her things, leaving him alone in the bathroom.

She had never before been so thankful that there were only two periods after lunch, but even still the afternoon seemed to drag on without end. She found herself watching the clock, a habit she had never gotten into but had heard fellow students talking about. Emotionally she was a wreck; she wanted Noah to be happy, but she wanted him to want to be with her as well. She nearly jumped out of her skin when the final bell rang, letting the students know that 3:00 had come and they were free, but now that the time of reckoning had come she wished it was still lunch hour. She was afraid to learn what he had chosen, scared it was her and he was giving up his dream, scared he had chosen football and abandoned her.

She met the rest of the non-football playing Glee members in the choir room where they waited, no one speaking but all staring up at the clock.

Mr. Shue entered the room and joined the vigil. "Hey guys." He greeted them heavily.

The clock struck 3:30 and all heads turned to the open door. Seconds passed and they started to look around at each other.

"I guess they're not coming." Their teacher sighed. "I'm really sorry guys."

Mercedes was the first to make her opinions known. "I can't believe this." She shook her head. "I thought they were our friends. How can they just abandon us?"

The sound of footsteps echoed down the empty corridor and much to the group's surprise and delight, Mike and Matt entered the room. Brittany and Santana rushed to give them a hero's welcome. Rachel smiled, but her eyes remained fixed on the empty doorway, slowly losing hope.

It was then that Puck chose to make his entrance. In shock Rachel walked over to him, hardly daring to believe what was before her eyes. "Are you sure about this Noah? Choosing us over the team means that you might get a slushie in your face every day."

He looked at the smiling group and took her tiny hands in his much larger ones. "Bring it."


	3. Surrounded By Your Embrace

Thanks again for some fantastic reviews for chapter 2 :D. It really keeps me motivated to muddle through even when I hit a rough patch. Sorry for the delay getting this up – I hit a spot where I felt like I had painted myself into a corner and it took some reworking until I was satisfied with how it turned out.

Please, if you like it or have some constructive criticism, please, _please _review! I have an idea of where I want this story to go, but other than that it's fairly fluid – your reviews keep me motivated and each one is appreciated! Plus I update faster when happy ;).

Chapter 3 – Surrounded By your Embrace

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Tensions were rising in the Glee club – Quinn's pregnancy had been discovered by Coach Sylvester and the rest of the school. She was kicked off the Cheerios and her status was dropping, which led to increased outbursts. Glee status had dropped even further between the football and pregnancy scandals. Puck couldn't help but feel a touch of guilt watching her fights with Finn over money, but in some ways was relieved it wasn't him on the receiving end of her hormone induced outbursts. Sectionals were also rapidly approaching, and coupled with what the Glee club had nicknamed 'Babygate', none of them were feeling 100%.

A week to the day of Coach Tanaka's ultimatum things as far as football and Glee were back to normal – he had changed his mind about the decision, and Finn had returned to the club. The others were still slightly bitter about his defection, but Rachel's acceptance had helped smooth things over.

The group gathered in the choir room at lunch, and while waiting for Mr. Shue to arrive the drama continued. Quinn was once again on Finn's case about work, and the angry blond made no effort to remain quiet.

"What about Target?" She questioned as the others attempted to busy themselves, not wanting to eavesdrop on the couple.

Finn shook his head. "Tried, not hiring."

"Another doctors' bill came to my parents' house last night Finn. We're lucky that I'm clever and intercepted it, but we have to start paying these doctors' bills or they're going to go to a collection agency and then my parents are going to find out that I'm with child." She started at him pointedly. "_Your_ child."

At that Puck turned his head slightly. Sitting beside him, Rachel squeezed his hand in understanding.

"All right guys!" Mr. Shue called as he strode into the room. "We're doing a new number for Sectionals." He handed sheet music as he explained. "I know that pop songs have sort of been our signature pieces, but I did a little research on past winners and it turns out that the judges like songs that are more accessible, stuff they know. Uh, standards, Broadway."

Kurt's face lit up as he was handed the music. "Defying Gravity? I have an Ipod shuffle dedicated exclusively to selections from Wicked. This is amazing."

Mr. Shue turned to Rachel. "Think you can handle it Rachel?"

Her face didn't even leave the page as she acknowledged his question. "It's my go to shower song. It's also my ringtone."

Kurt's face fell and disappointment was obvious as he looked over at Rachel. He was used to being passed over for solos, but for his favourite song of all time? It was salt in the wound.

"Why do we have to go all Vanilla on this song? See, what we need is my Chocolate Thunder." Mercedes smiled in an attempt to ease Kurt's disappointment.

Mr. Shue laughed. "Ok, we don't have time to rearrange a song for you Mercedes. Rachel is singing it, but don't worry, we'll find something for you to 'dip in chocolate'." He paused for a moment as everyone laughed. "Onto item two; the school won't pay for the special bus we need to take Artie and his wheelchair to Sectionals."

Artie's face fell as Rachel spoke up. "That's completely unfair!"

"So," Mr. Shue rubbed his hands together as he continued. "We'll need to pay for it ourselves. See, when I was in Glee Club and we needed new silk cummerbunds for Regional's we held a bake sale." This didn't invoke the reaction the enthusiastic teacher was hoping for; in fact all he saw as he looked at his students were looks of disbelief

"Wait... you're joking, right?" Santana tossed her head. "I mean, bake sales are kind of lame."

Mr. Shue looked at his class with thinly veiled disappointment. "So, hip people stopped eating delicious sugary treats?"

"It's not that, it's most of us, don't know how to bake... I find... recipes confusing." Brittany interjected.

Rachel shook her head. "My family is fully committed to take out."

"Yeah, Mr. Shue... kids are busier then when you were here. We've got homework, football, teen pregnancy, lunch...." Finn looked around the group for more support.

"Yeah, can't Artie's dad just take him?" Mercedes asked, glancing over to where he sat.

"I can't believe how insensitive you're all being. Are you a team?" Although he tried, Mr. Shue couldn't keep the disgust totally out of his voice as he stared down at his students.

"Of course, but Artie understands." Quinn ran her hand through her long blond hair as she glanced over her shoulder in his direction. "Don't you Artie?"

Artie's upper lip curled as he listened to her, but masked it quickly. "Oh... of course." He glanced up at his teacher. "It's cool... anything that takes away our time from rehearsing doesn't serve the team." At least the rest of the teens had the decency to look ashamed as they listened to their friend's words.

The bell rang, warning students they had ten minutes left of their lunch break. Rachel and Puck both stood with the rest of the students and arm in arm they entered the already packed hallway. They fought their way through the crowd to the brunette's locker, where Puck had gotten into the habit of stashing the textbooks for the few classes he actually attended.

He leaned against the locker door as he looked down on her. Noticing a stray lock he brushed it back, grazing his fingers along her cheek in the process. "I was thinking.... My mom's working late tonight..." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "Wanna come over?"

"If my teachers don't give me much more homework tonight; I want to be at least into the second act of Hamlet for English class." Puck rolled his eyes at her, knowing full well they had only gotten part way through Act one in class."_And_," she continued, fixing him a pointed stare, "I need to start rehearsing Defying Gravity."

Again he rolled his eyes at her, but when she huffed bent over and kissed her. "Oh, my sis is at the sitter's 'til my Mom gets off work."

"Honestly!" She exclaimed. "Is that _all_ you boys think about?"

He quickly feigned a hurt pout. "And here I was think that you would be excited to start baking...." He laughed as she gave him a good hard shove.

"_Actually_." She gave his a pointed looked. "I have a better idea. What if you came over to dinner at my place and formally met my Dads?" She huffed as she watched him roll his eyes. "They've been asking to meet you, can you please do this for me?"

Although he played it tough on the exterior and had a reputation as a bit of a ladies' man (well, who was he kidding, he was a _stud_) he had never actually met a girl's parents before. That would involve actually being around the next morning when the girl woke up, which was not his typical M.O. And while, sure, he'd do it for Rachel gladly, he sure wasn't above putting on an act to get a little something out of it.

"Parents don't normally like me babe. Are you sure you want to risk messing up a good thing?"

She huffed, and would have done her usual storm off if she wasn't blocked in at that very second. "I don't know why you're so hard on yourself Noah. I like you, and my parents will love you just for the fact that you make me happy."

Knowing a lost cause when he saw one, he sighed in defeat. "Ok, on one condition..." He smirked as her face fell, obviously unsure of what his request would be. "I'm cooking – I don't do that take-out crap. It's full of empty calories and sugar." He rolled up his sleeves and flexed his arms. "I mean, _look_ at these guns. I'm a stud because I don't put junk in my body all the time."

---------------

And so that was how Puck found himself in Rachel Berry's kitchen, of all places, cooking supper for her and her two Dads. He was grateful for the fact that they worked until 5:00 and with the commute wouldn't be home until after 5:30, since it gave him time to acquaint himself with the unfamiliar kitchen. It also gave him some time to settle his nerves, or at least attempt to.

Rachel showed him in and then stood back, leaning against the doorframe that led to the dining room. She had hesitantly agreed to him cooking supper, half afraid her fathers would come home to find a section of their home burned to the ground. So far though, she had to admit to being impressed with the level of skill and knowledge he seemed to display. He wasn't doing anything overly complicated, just a whole chicken roasted in the oven with some fresh vegetables and rice on the side, but it was much more than Rachel herself had ever been able to do. She found herself inching closer to where he worked in silence, almost hoping that she would pick up some of his talent just by being near him.

Feeling her inching closer, he turned his head in her direction and gave her a cocky smirk. "You didn't think I could actually cook, did you?" He asked as he took in her shocked expression.

"I really thought I was going to be eating burnt Mac 'n Cheese for supper." She laughed, remembering the last time she had attempted to have supper ready for when her fathers came home.

He groaned as he realized that she probably spoke from experience. "_How_ do you mess up Mac 'n Cheese? Babe, I'm going to teach you how to make some very quick, healthy meals when we have more time." He sprinkled some herbs over the chicken and added some water to keep it from drying out before sliding it into the oven.

"I guess cooking has just never been a priority for my Dads, so in turn I never thought it was important enough to learn. " He smiled at the thought of Rachel Berry admitting that she wasn't good at something, and placed a soft kiss on her lips.

The sound of a garage door opening announced the arrival of her parents, and she watched her boyfriend noticeably tense. "Noah, relax." She took his massive hand in her much smaller one and gave it a squeeze. "Just be yourself. Not Puck though" She quickly corrected.

The door connecting the house to the garage opened, and the men made their way into the house, following the delicious smell wafting from the kitchen. They entered the kitchen and smiled at their daughter, while taking in the sight of her standing before them, hand in hand with a mohawked, testosterone filled teenage boy. Noah waited with baited breath as they looked him up and down before breaking into smiles.

"You must be the Noah we've heard so much about." Roger greeted him, stepping forward to shake the boy's hand.

"I believe we were briefly acquainted last week when you were over to help Rachel with her songs." Allan mention as he too shook Noah's hand.

"Yes you were. Dad, Daddy, this is Noah. Noah these are my fathers, Allan and Roger." She smiled as she stood between the three men. "Noah offered to cook supper for us tonight." She explained as they looked around the kitchen.

The four made small talk in the living room as they waited for the chicken to finish cooking. Puck felt as though he was playing 20 questions with the two men, but knew their hearts were in the right place. It was obvious that they cared deeply for their only child.

"So, tell us about your family Noah." Allan asked him from his armchair.

The boy shifted nervously in his seat, and sensing his discomfort Rachel squeezed his hand. "Well, it's just my mom, my little sister Sara and I. My Dad took off when Sara was a few months old." The timer went off, and Puck hurried from couch he shared with Rachel, relieved to be spared more questions.

Rachel and her fathers rose from their seats and followed the anxious boy into the kitchen, where he

was pulling the finished bird from the oven.

"Why don't you bring that right into the dining room? I put the trivets down when I set the table." Roger

instructed as he grabbed the rice off the stovetop.

The group sat down around the table and watched as Puck skilfully carved the chicken. He carefully removed the vegetables and divided them between everyone. Once their plates were full they remained completely silent, an oddity in the Berry household.

The silence was finally broken by Rachel. "Noah, this is amazing! Where on earth did you learn to cook like this?"

He shrugged. "I kinda had to figure out how to cook on my own. My mom is a nurse and has to work long shifts, and I couldn't just feed Sara garbage all the time. I bought a few cookbooks and figured things out on my own."

He saw but chose to ignore the sympathetic glances the Berrys' were subtly passing between each other as they finished their meal.

Rachel again was the one to break the silence as she rose, dishes in hand. "Noah, I really need to rehearse my solo, can you give me a hand?"

He nodded and stood up, grabbing his plate and glass. He followed her into the kitchen and set the dirty dishes on the counter. He reached toward the dishwasher, but Rachel quickly stopped him.

"You cooked, my Dads will be more than happy to put your dishes away for you." She flashed him one of her brilliant smiles he loved so much and she rose on her tiptoes to place a kiss on his lips. "C'mon, let's get upstairs."


	4. Something Has Changed Within Me

Again, so many thanks for the wonderful and positive reviews for the previous chapter! I can hardly believe that this story is on alert for over 60 people – this is my first serious attempt at a fic, so I am very flattered! You guys really do keep me going even when I feel like my writing is terrible, so thank you all so much! I'm having a blast writing this, and the ideas are really starting to flow now that the characters are starting to become a little more 'mine'.

I'm still attempting to keep this as canon as possible, but at some point that will have to change – most likely after sectionals (obviously since there aren't any new episodes ATM!). I know that is what draws a lot of people to this, so i promise to keep it up as long as I can.

It seems that an update every 4-5 days is fairly realistic for me, so expect that on average. I like my chapters to be a decent length, and I read them over about a million times checking for mistakes. If you want them faster though, keep inflating my ego with reviews! Constructive criticism is also appreciated.

Chapter 4 – Something Has Changed Within Me

---------------

A week and many, _many _hours of listening to Rachel singing Defying Gravity later, Puck was quite ready for the Diva-off to be a _distant_ memory. Sure, it was hot watching his sexy girlfriend rock out to the Broadway number the first 20 times, (and yes, singing did make her especially randy) but his ears were going to bleed if she kept up much longer. Not only that, but this song was from her _favourite Broadway Musical_, which led to her intense lecture (he refused to call it a discussion) on how she was destined for stardom in New York. He tolerated it because of his feelings for her, but this was testing his determination.

She had become almost a woman possessed since Mr. Shue had announced that both she and Kurt would have to audition for the solo, and it had become even more difficult to distract her once she started focusing in on that fact. Not only was she focused on winning the solo, but they had the bake sale they had to both cook for, and the whole team had spent the week rehearsing a wheelchair number in addition to using them daily. This had lead to some very exhausted teenagers, and the club as a whole had become rather testy, Puck and Rachel included.

"And did you know that Kristen Chenoweth-" That was it, he had had enough. He quickly closed the gap to where she sat on his bed and before she knew what was happening he was on top of her, lips locked feverishly on hers, hands roaming to areas that were quickly distracting her from what she considered a very important fact. "Kris.. Kristen Chenoweth, was the part of the original..." He groaned and deepened the kiss, parting her delicious lips with his tongue. He smirked slightly as he felt her open her mouth to grant him further access.

"_Ewww!_ Noah!" They sprung apart at the sound of his little sister's squeals of disgust. Puck looked over to the doorway where Sara stood, a mixture of shock and horror frozen on her young face.

'Sara? What are you doing home?" He snuck a glance over to his girlfriend and couldn't help but grin when he saw the deep blush spreading across her cheeks.

Sara frowned and put her hands on her hips in a formidable and slightly scary impression of their mother. "It's _Wednesday_, Noah Joseph Puckerman. Mrs. Black drops me off at 4:30. Duh!"

He rolled his eyes at his 10 year old sister and swung his legs over the bed. "Then can't you go play in your room or something?"

She shook her head. "No girls allowed in your room when Mommy isn't home. You're gonna be in big trouble."

"If you tell Mom about this then I'm not sneaking you anymore Reese's cups before supper." He smirked as he watched the color drain from her face. "Besides, Rachel's different Sara." He motioned for her to join them on the bed. She looked between Noah and Rachel, and made her way over slowly until she was within grabbing distance. He pulled close into a massive bear hug. "Rachel's my girlfriend, kid. And mom's gonna love her 'cause she's Jewish like us. Plus she's super cool, and doesn't have a baby sis of her own to spoil."

The young girl peeked up at Rachel from under her dark bangs. "Do you have a big brother to give you peanut butter cups?"

Rachel grinned and shook her head. "No, I'm an only child. My Dads-"

"You have _two_ Dads?" She asked, brown eyes widening. "I don't have any! I only have one Mom, but that's ok 'cause two Moms would bug me to do more chores."

At once Rachel was grateful for a child's innocence and easy acceptance of anything. She was so used to people knowing about her home life that she often took it for granted and shocked the few who weren't aware.

"Two Dads are just as bad about nagging as two Moms would be." She straightened her blouse, "but I would have loved an older brother to look out for me when I was young. You're lucky to have Noah."

Sara nodded and snuggled against her brother's chest. "I looooooooooove Noah. Except when he tickles me, or won't sing me Jonas Brothers songs."

Noah groaned as Rachel attempted to stifle her belly splitting laughter. It didn't work though, and soon her infectious laughs had spread and the three were lying on the bed attempting to catch their breath.

"Noah, what on earth is going on in here?" Deborah Puckerman asked from where she stood in the doorway, watching the three kids gasp for air on the bed. They quickly sat up and Sara had darted over to her mom before her brother could stop her.

She wrapped herself around her mother's waist and smiled up at her. "Mommy, this is Noah's girlfriend. Her name is Rachel and guess what? She's Jewish too!"

Puck and Rachel watched as his mother began to smile. "Noah, is this true?" She waited anxiously, hardly daring to believe that it could be real. She had prayed for so long that her boy would find himself a nice Jewish girl but never believed it would really happen.

Seeing her son nod she took the three steps over to the bed and wrapped Rachel in a warm hug. She snaked an arm out and caught Puck by surprise, pulling him in as well.

She released the pair, and Puck smirked at his dazed girlfriend. "Rachel, I'd like you meet my mom, Deborah. Mom, this is Rachel."

"It's very nice to meet you Mrs. Puckerman." She grinned up at the older woman from beside Puck.

"And it's a pleasure meeting you, Rachel." She walked back to the door, before turning to the couple again. "Noah dear, don't worry about cooking supper tonight, I'm sure I can find the energy to whip something up." With that she shut the door, leaving the teens alone.

---------------

After supper with Deborah and Sara, Puck and Rachel went back to Puck's room. The young brunette was on cloud 9 after what had seemed to be the perfect first dinner with her boyfriend's family – her being Jewish seemed to outweigh having two fathers, and his sister loved the fact that Rachel was as big a Disney fan as her. Puck leaned in for a kiss with only one very physical thing in mind, but Rachel wanted to talk and nothing could distract her once she had a topic in mind.

She sat down in his computer chair as he settled down facing her on the edge of the bed. "I've been thinking about Quinn and the baby." She began, watching his expression become pained. "I really think that you need to tell Finn the truth."

Puck shook his head. "Rach, I don't think I can... we've been best friends since we were practically babies."

"Isn't that all the more reason to come clean?" She straightened her skirt and leaned forward to take his hand in hers. "You can't expect this to stay a secret for the rest of the pregnancy."

"She's planning on giving it up for adoption, it's not like he's the one raising it." As much as he tried to justify it, he knew his opinionated girlfriend was once again right.

"He might not be the one raising it, but he's the one expected to pay the medical bills. Plus he's going to think that he has a child out there somewhere that he will never know." She sighed, "I know it's not easy, but I don't think it's fair to Finn."

He ran a hand over his short mohawk, "I know, I know... it just doesn't feel like it's my secret to tell."

"Fair enough," she conceded, "but that just means we have to convince Quinn that it's the right thing to do." She had put a lot of thought towards the subject as soon as Noah had revealed the truth. She cared deeply for Finn as a friend and knew that she could not sit by and watch as he tore himself up over giving up the child he believed to be his.

The truth was, Rachel had been thinking long and hard about this from the moment Puck had revealed the true paternity of Quinn's baby to her. She knew that he would just be content to sweep it under the rug, but she certainly wasn't prepared to sit idly by and watch the lie grow. She could see it already causing tension between the two boys – just earlier this week they had nearly had a massive fight right there in the hallway at school. In wheelchairs no less! If it hadn't been for their Glee director's timely arrival, both boys would probably have ended up sporting matching black eyes and been suspended for the rest of the semester. All that because Puck had told Finn he didn't deserve a girl like Quinn. To be fair though, everyone in the club was exhausted which led to much shorter fuses.

She would let him sit on what she had said for a little while longer, but was prepared to take matters into her own hands. For the sake of the Glee club, or so she told herself.

---------------

Thursday had arrived, the day of the diva-off. Rachel couldn't help but be a _bit_ nervous, although she was certain that her years of vocal training would help her win the hearts of her fellow glee clubbers. She also had the fact that it was traditionally a female song on her side – if you were to ask _her_ opinion, a female lead would be much more accessible to the judges. Of course none of her teammates were overly inclined to ask her opinion.

As she wheeled through school after classes had let out that afternoon, she couldn't help but feel a sense of isolation she hadn't felt before. She was no stranger to being an outcast, but the chair seemed to further draw the line between her and the rest of the student body. I didn't help that even the glee clubbers had been giving her wide berth, but she couldn't shake the feeling of being _looked down on_ by all the other students.

She grinned widely as she saw her boyfriend wheeling towards her. "Hey," she greeted him warmly.

He fell into line, pushing himself alongside her as they both made their way to the choir room. "Hey yourself. How you feeling?"

"I'm really nervous about the diva-off," she admitted, glancing down the hall to the entrance of the room, where Kurt was pushing himself through.

Puck shook his head as he followed her gaze. "Don't be."

"But I don't want to win out of charity...I want to win the solo because it's right for the club." She looked back to her boyfriend for an instant. "I really think that the judges at Sectionals will find a female version of Defying Gravity _much_ more accessible, but..." She shook her head as she looked again to the open door that was rapidly approaching. "I don't think that's going to happen. People just don't like me."

Puck nodded in agreement, a devious smirk playing on his lips. "Yeah, you might wanna work on that..."

She huffed and took her hand from the wheel for a moment to give him a shove.

"I like you." He added quickly, grinning as he watched her attempt to maintain an angry pout. He allowed her to enter the room first, following quickly behind her.

They both left their wheelchairs at the door with the others and went to take their places with the group. Puck's eyes narrowed as he watched Finn rise and approach Rachel, but took his seat quietly.

The tall jock smiled down at the brunette and placed a large hand on her shoulder. "Good luck." He turned to look at the group, then leaned in close, "I'm rooting for you." He whispered.

She ducked her head and blushed, not seeing the jealousy evident on the faces of both Quinn and Puck. With a smile now on her face she sat down in the empty seat next to her boyfriend.

"All right, welcome to the Glee club's first official diva-off." Mr. Shue began, pausing as the group clapped and cheered. "Let's get this party started!" He backed up to his place beside the piano, clearing the floor for Kurt, who had been drawn to go first.

Rachel watched him perform with a critical eye, but could find no flaws in his singing. Her heart was quickly breaking as she watched the club respond to him, but halfway through she had a glimmer of hope – he looked around nervously and seemed to hesitate. When it came to the high F his voice broke, and with that she knew the solo would be hers. Still, her heart did break for the boy who had clearly put everything he had into the song. He was met by hugs and encouragement from the group, and Rachel knew he would be fine.

She stood and took her place where moment before Kurt had tried and failed. Again, the piano started up, and she drew a deep breath.

_Something has changed within me  
Something is not the same  
I'm through with playing by the rules  
Of someone else's game _

As she took another breath she glanced at her Noah, eyes revealing all she felt for him in that moment

_  
Too late for second-guessing  
Too late to go back to sleep  
It's time to trust my instincts  
Close my eyes: and leap!_

It's time to try  
Defying gravity  
I think I'll try  
Defying gravity  
Kiss me goodbye  
I am defying gravity  
And you won't bring me down!

I'm through accepting limits  
'cause someone says they're so  
Some things I cannot change  
But till I try, I'll never know!  
Too long I've been afraid of  
Losing love I guess I've lost  
Well, if that's love  
It comes at much too high a cost!  


She allowed herself a quick glance to where Finn and Quinn sat, hand in hand.

_  
I'd sooner buy  
Defying gravity  
Kiss me goodbye  
I'm defying gravity  
I think I'll try  
Defying gravity  
And you won't bring me down!_

I'd sooner buy  
Defying gravity  
Kiss me goodbye  
I'm defying gravity  
I think I'll try  
Defying gravity  
And you won't bring me down!  
bring me down!  
ohh ohhh ohhhh!

She stood for a second before the class, eyes closed as she left the piano fade, but Mr. Shue's claps soon brought her back to reality. He was joined by the rest of the class, who had risen to give her a standing ovation, Kurt included. She had a rare moment of humility, ducking her head and blushing. Puck closed the distance between them, scooping her off her feet into a massive, bone crushing hug before kissing her firmly on the lips for the whole class to see.


	5. Let's Do It Again

Longest chapter of the story so far! I also wrote it much faster than expected – I got to a spot where I just hit a groove and kept writing. There is a slight M rating early on, just so you're all aware. I try to keep it pretty tame though.

If you like the story, please review! If you hate the story and have ideas to make it better, please review! If you want chapters written quickly – well, you get the picture by now, I'm sure.

Chapter 5 - Let's Do It Again

---------------

With the diva-off finally a distant memory, things were back to just about normal within the Glee club. Rachel had gotten her solo, so as far as _she_ was concerned, all was right within her little world. She had even helped use the wheelchairs to Finn's advantage, getting him a job at the local restaurant. She still didn't agree with him earning money to give to Quinn, but it seemed to settle the blond ex-cheerleader down some, so she figured it was her service towards the unity of the club.

Her parents had also conveniently chosen that weekend for their semi annual "Fathers only spa getaway" that they had started when she had turned 14, and therefore old enough to leave alone for the weekend without killing herself. It was the perfect opportunity for she and Puck to celebrate her win the day before. Puck didn't think it was very fair that his girlfriend had flat out refused to skip 5th period in order to start the party for two a little early, but he figured that was the punishment he deserved for being so attracted to a goody-two-shoes such as her.

The final bell couldn't ring soon enough for the teenage boy, and once he heard it, he sprang from his desk to meet Rachel by her locker. True to form the girl had lingered in her last class, with questions that probably could have waited until Monday to be asked. When she finally made it to her locker, he essentially kidnapped her (in her_ never_ humble opinion, anyway) before she'd even had a chance to get any of her school work.

"Not doing homework for _one _weekend won't kill you, Babe." He attempted to sooth her from the driver's seat of his truck. He glanced over in time to see her pout dramatically, and had to hide his grin.

"You don't know that. If I'm going to get into NYU-"

"You're a sophomore." He interrupted, "grades don't even matter until next year."

"But setting habits _now_ does matter, Noah! By doing well now, I'm setting myself up for future success." She fixed a pointed glare in his direction. "They take into account everything if it comes down two outstanding applicants, so this could very well give me the advantage that I need."

Knowing he needed to take a different angle on this one, he reached across the cab of the truck to take her slender hand. "Rachel, you're brilliant. One weekend having some fun won't affect your chances at getting into the university that you want one bit. I just want us to have a few days to ourselves, no parents, no sisters, no worries."

"I would just like the record to show that I've agreed to this under duress." She sounded annoyed, but gave his hand a reassuring squeeze.

He parked the half ton in her driveway, not taking care to park to the side. Her fathers were away and her Beetle was in the garage. Keeping her blocked in suited him just fine anyway. If he had his way they wouldn't be leaving the house until necessary.

Entering the house both backpacks were dropped quickly and without care in the entranceway. Both teens had only one thing in mind as their lips met feverishly. Rachel's hands were making quick work of lifting the boy's shirt, and he allowed himself to part from her for a moment to lift his arms, helping her remove the garment. She ran her nimble fingers down his bare, chiselled chest, dragging her nails with enough pressure to leave faint angry red lines. He groaned deeply into her mouth and felt her tongue parting his lips. It was at this moment he chose to thank whoever was in charge for finding a girl like her.

He reached behind her and grabbed her wonderful ass, pulling her into him. She ground her lower half against him suggestively, nearly driving him to the brink. He found the zipper to her skirt and once undone it was quick to fall to her ankles, where she kicked it aside carelessly. He felt her hands trailing downwards to his belt buckle, leaving his skin tingling in the wake of her light touch. She took her time undoing his buckle, and he growled in her ear in frustration. She couldn't stifle her giggle, and paused to cup his face in her hands, bestowing him with a light kiss.

She undid his fly slowly, and with his pants still up slid her hand in above the cotton fabric of his boxers. He again groaned at her touch and reciprocated the favour. Both driven to the brink of release they stopped and resumed their passionate kissing.

Pausing for air he gazed down at her. "Upstairs?"

She shook her head and backed up against the wall next to the closet. "I want you right here, right now."

At those words the teenage boy was ready to get down on his hands and knees to worship his girlfriend. Who would have guessed the reserved Rachel Berry was such a firecracker? He pushed his jeans and boxers to the floor and stepped out of them, closer to her where he was better able to remove the rest of her garments.

---------------

Puck was fairly sure that experience would rank as one of the top moments of his life. It was a first for him, taking a girl in the entranceway of her parents' home and it was every bit as hot as he had ever imagined it could be. Even hotter still was being around after the fact, not being kicked out. They had made a quick supper of spaghetti and Caesar salad and then kicked back on the couch to watch Rent (for the millionth time in their short relationship) and he was thoroughly enjoying the feeling of having a girlfriend snuggling in against him.

He played with her dark hair and looked down at her fondly while her attention was riveted on the television screen. It was during moments like these, when they were able to enjoy a comfortable silence together that he could picture this as the way he wanted to spend the rest of his life. Rachel Berry and comfortable silence were words not normally used in the same sentence, but she had continued to impress him as the relationship developed. Not that he would ever say that out loud, of course.

As the credits started to roll, she yawned and looked up at Puck before stretching. "Well I don't know about you, but I'm more than ready for bed."

He smoothed her wild mane and smirked down at her. "Am I such a stud that I wore you out?"

She laughed and playfully smacked his chest. "Of course Noah."

He stood up from the warm couch and extended his hand to her, which she gladly accepted and together the pair made their way up the stairs to her bedroom, where they prepared to sleep.

The whole routine felt oddly right to both, but neither one wanted to come out and say it for fear of scaring the other off. It seemed so normal and logical, him putting on a fresh pair of boxers, her in one of his baggy t-shirts, even sharing the sink as they brushed their teeth. Both spent from the activities of the day they were more than content to fall asleep wrapped in each other's arms.

---------------

The weekend had passed much too quickly for the couple's liking, and almost before they knew it was Sunday night and Rachel was pushing him out the door to avoid a run-in with her fathers. They hadn't outright told her not to have her boyfriend over, but she knew it had been assumed those were the terms, and she certainly didn't want to lose their trust. Puck, although hesitant to leave totally accepted and agreed with her reasoning – fathers are scary enough and this chick had _two_. It was every boyfriend's worst nightmare.

As they met at her locker on Monday morning, they quickly found that they weren't alone. Kurt and Mercedes were already waiting for them, to spill the news; Mr. Shue had gone out over the weekend and invited the Jane Adams girls for a scrimmage, and they would be performing after school for the McKinley Glee Club.

"But really, how good can they be?" Mercedes questioned.

Kurt shrugged and pushed a stray hair back into place. "I suppose we'll just have to wait and see."

Between each class that day the various members could be seen in groups discussing it amongst themselves. The general consensus was that it was probably nothing to worry about, but they would assume the worst until they saw the competition with their own eyes.

That afternoon they waited impatiently in the auditorium for the visiting girls to takes their spots on stage. Mr. Shue finally appeared from the wings.

"Ok guys, so first of all I want to welcome Ms. Hitchens and the Jane Adams' Glee Club." He addressed the visitors. "We're all very happy to have you guys here. So, we'll let you guys start us off. Let's see what you got." He smiled and walked off stage to take his place in the seats next to his club.

Rachel watched the team perform Beyonce's _Bootylicious_ with a critical eye, trained by years of performing. She relaxed as they continued, seeing several (in her opinion) glaring flaws, but saw some of her teammates becoming tense. Even their teacher wasn't immune to nerves.

They clapped as the opposing team finished, some stronger than others, and then took the stage for their own performance. They had chosen Rascal Flatts _Life is a Highway_.

The group lined up on stage, backs to the audience. Finn was male lead for the song, and as the music started, turned and stepped forward, keeping to stage left.

_Whooo!_

_Well, life's like a road that you travel on  
There's one day here and the next day gone  
Sometimes you bend, sometimes you stand  
Sometimes you turn your back to the wind  
_

Rachel, who was already on the opposite side of the line up, turned from the group and stepped forward, keeping to stage right.

_  
There's a world outside every darkened door  
Where Blues won't haunt you anymore  
Where the brave are free and lovers soar  
Come ride with me to the distant shore  
_

As she sung her verse they turned to face each other, then crossed the stage until they were inches apart, hand in hand. Together they sang the next verse.

_  
We won't hesitate  
To break down the garden gate  
There's not much time left today, yeah  
_

After that was finished the rest of the club turned and joined them, all singing the chorus in pairs to each other.

_  
Life is a highway, I wanna ride it  
All night long  
If you're going my way, I wanna drive it  
All night long  
_

The group stood back, leaving Quinn center stage with Puck as she sang the next verse to him

_  
Through all these cities and all these towns  
It's in my blood and it's all around  
I love now like I loved you then  
This is the road and these are the hands  
From Mozambique to those Memphis nights  
The Khyber Pass to Vancouver's lights  
_

They joined hands as Puck sang the next verse, although he couldn't help but glance back to where Rachel was singing backup.

_  
They knock me down  
And back up again  
You're in my blood  
I'm not a lonely man  
There's no load I can't hold  
The road's so rough this I know  
I'll be there when the light comes in  
Just tell 'em we're survivors  
_

Again the group joined the two center stage in pairs as they all sang the chorus to each other.

_  
Life is a highway, I wanna ride it  
All night long  
If you're going my way, I wanna drive it  
All night long_

Life is a highway, I wanna ride it  
All night long  
If you're going my way, I wanna drive it  
All night long

The group parted slightly as Artie wheeled forward to sing. Tina, who he was paired with followed close behind.

_Gimme, Gimme, Gimme, Gimme, yeah_

They all came together again to sing the chorus a final time as the music faded slowly around them, leaving them to finish it acappella.

_Life is a highway, I wanna ride it  
All night long  
If you're going my way, I wanna drive it  
All night long  
_

Puck gazed over to where Rachel stood, beaming, hand in hand with Finn. She glanced over in his direction and gave him a quick wink, reassuring him that he had nothing at all to fear. He was then suddenly aware of Quinn's hand grasped in his own, and felt like the applause couldn't end soon enough so he could let her go without seeming disgusted by her.

The two teachers stood from their seats and shook each others' hands before Ms. Hitchens motioned that it was time for her girls to leave. The Jane Adams girls certainly knew how to make an exit; the whooping and hollering echoed through the auditorium and through the halls of the school as they celebrated what had been a rare outing.

The rest of the McKinley crowd left, but Puck hesitated as he watched Rachel linger on stage. She motioned for him to go on without her as she saw Mr. Shue sink back down into his seat, rubbing his hands nervously.

She lowered herself down into one of the chairs behind him. "Mr. Shue, you seem concerned."

"What?" He turned to face her, attempting to look as though he didn't know what she was talking about. "No! I mean, they were great but we're just as good..."

She leaned forward, "Mr. Shue, if I may, what they were doing was just all smoke and mirrors. It's called hairography."

"What?" She had certainly gotten his attention.

"Hairography... all the whizzing of their hair around just to distract from the fact that they're not really good dancers, and they're vocals were just so-so. Trust me, we have _nothing_ to be afraid of." With her point made she nodded and stood, eager to hunt down her boyfriend.

---------------

The next day it was quite obvious that her intended message had not gotten through to their sometimes thick skulled teacher. He entered the choir room like a man on a mission, sheet music in hand and duffle bag over his shoulder.

"All right guys!" He waited for them to stop dancing and talking to have their full attention. "I did some thinking last night, I think I found our new number for Sectionals." He held up the sheet music. "We're going to do the title song from _Hair_. Now this show started a revolution."

Puck looked up from the back row, where he had his arm draped around Rachel. "Wait, did they have mohawks back then? Like in the twenties or whenever?"

"Yeah Mr. Shue, if we're going to do a song about hair, shouldn't we have more hair?" Finn questioned from the front row.

The teacher held the duffle bag up for all to see. "One step ahead of you. Here are your wigs." He tossed the bag to Finn, who unzipped it and started to pull some out with a grin.

Rachel was the only one not impressed, and quickly headed over to him while the others were distracted. "Mr. Shuster, what are you doing?" She grabbed him by the arm and pulled him away. "We are fine the way we are. We don't need hairography, it's just a distraction."

He glanced back at the group before looking her in the eyes. "Look, I have to be honest, those Jane Adams' girls did freak me out a little and I'm worried about our chances for Sectionals. We have to pull out all the stops if we want to win." He laughed and turned back to the group, watching the boys try on the wigs. "Lookin' great guys!"

Over the course of the next few days the devoted all their time to rehearsing their hairography number, much to Rachel's annoyance. She had to admit it was funny watching the boys try to fling their new locks around, but felt oddly vindicated, if not a little weirded out when Coach Sylvester laced into Mr. Shue during practice. She had said all that Rachel herself had been trying but failing to get across, and although it was odd agreeing with the Cheerio coach, she felt for once that woman had hit the nail on the head.

It didn't change the Glee Director's decision though, and before Rachel knew it, Monday had rolled around and the Haverbrook students had arrived. This time the McKinley group was first to perform, and did a mash-up of _Crazy in Love_ and _Hair_. It was an okay performance, but not 'them', and all the students felt it. Mr. Shue was still determined to make it work though, despite Rachel's protests. They took their seats in the choir room, clearing the stage for the visiting show choir.

The director of Haverbrook's choir sat down on the piano and began to play. The choir stood in three rows, and from the center of the first a young man began to sing. The rest of the choir signed along in ASL.

_Imagine there's no Heaven_

_It's easy if you try_

_No hell below us_

_Above us only sky_

_Imagine all the people_

_Living life for today_

Moved by the music, Mercedes began to sing along softly. Her teammates shifted in their seats to smile at her and each other.

_Imagine there's no country  
It isn't hard to do  
Nothing to kill or die for  
And no religion too  
_

She rose from her seat to join the young man, and as she continued to sing began to sign the lyrics with his guidance

_  
Imagine all the people  
Living life in peace (yoouuu)  
You may say I'm a dreamer _

Artie was the next to join in, and their voices blended together seamlessly as he took his place beside one of the girls. The rest of the group all joined in, singing and signing alongside the deaf choir. Mr. Shue looked on, a mixture of awe and pride on his face.__

But I'm not the only one  
I hope someday you will join us  
And the world will live as one  


From her spot beside one of the girls, Rachel's voice rung out.

_  
Imagine no possessions  
I wonder if you can  
No need for greed or hunger  
A brotherhood of man _

_  
Imagine all the people  
Sharing for the world (yoouuu)_

You may say I'm a dreamer  
But I'm not the only one  
I hope someday you will join us  
And the world will live as one.


End file.
